Category: Albums

Six Commissions is the fourth album from trumpeter Hayden Powell and his trio featuring Eyolf Dale on piano and Jo Skaansar on bass. The album includes compositions by six different musicians and composers as well as free improvisations by the trio.

The album’s opening tune Junior Days was composed by the superb Norwegian bassist and band leader Mats Eilertsen. Two distinct Scandinavian saxophonists have contributed to the album. Swedish Per “Texas” Johansson, a long-time favourite of Hayden’s, wrote the tune Här börjar regnbågen, while Norwegian Espen Reinertsen composed the minimalist Vent på mitt signal, challenging the trio to venture outside their comfort zone. Powell’s connection with Natacha Atlas’ band led to the commissioning of Fagr Shaami, a joint effort by Atlas and her musical director, British-Egyptian violinist Samy Bishai. Hayden has also played (and recorded for ECM) with Finnish pianist and harpist Iro Haarla, who composed Ruler of All Things. Finally, Erlend Skomsvoll, one of Norway’s most prolific composers and pianists and an early influence on Powell, provided the album’s closing tune Enn dét.

«In our corner of the musical world it’s most usual to write one’s own music. This time we decided instead to ask our favourite composers and musicians to write for us. Most of the composers selected are musicians I’ve worked with before. They were all given complete freedom to write in their own style and to reinvent what our trio might sound like. Upon receiving the scores I was intrigued by how clearly the personal style of each composer shone through, making this an album we could not have made on our own».

Hayden Powell has previously released three albums, The Attic (2011), Roots and Stems (2013), and Circadian Rhythm & Blues (2015)

Available on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and all other major streaming services. Vinyl version coming in the second half of 2018.

Streaming, download & vinyl
Released on June 8th 2018 (digital), vinyl in second half on 2018
Catalogue: PSK107

Produced by Hayden PowellRecorded by Eyolf Dale between August 2017 and February 2018 at Wolf Valley Studios, Oslo
Mixed by August Wanngren at Virkeligheden, Copenhagen
Mastered by Morgan Nicolaysen at Propeller Mastering, Oslo
Artwork by Jens Jørgen Carelius Krogsveen

Newcomers Significant Time have recently been gaining attention in Norway for their blistering and humorous concerts, not least at last years’ Maijazz festival. For their debut album the quartet are joined by Hayden Powell on trumpet and André Roligheten on woodwinds.

Regnbueponniens Significante Påskesang is a collection of songs by vocalist Signe Irene Time and pianist Øyvind Gjelsten Dale, with the latter providing arrangements for sextet. The nine originals are inspired by jazz greats such as Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus, but also offer references to classical composers such as Maurice Ravel and Frédéric Chopin. There’s even a tribute to recently deceased saxophonist Ornette Coleman, with strong contributions from bassist Fredrik Luhr Dietrichson and drummer Raymond Storaunet Lavik.

The idea for the band came about in 2010 after Øyvind heard Signe perform the song T.G.T.T. from Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concert. An absence of lyrics gives this piece it’s very own tone and mood, something Øyvind found greatly inspiring.

The quartet aims to give Signe Irene’s vocals an integrated and varied role similar to that of a melodic instrument, rather than simply the usual foreground placement. The non-sense album title alludes to the playfulness and joyful exploration of tradition and freedom that characterizes this band.

In 2015, Significant Time was commissioned to write new music for a concert at Stavanger’s jazz festival Maijazz. Aiming to underline their orchestral approach they invited saxophonist André Roligheten and trumpeter Hayden Powell to supplement the band, further broadening their palate. The two musicans are among Norway’s most active jazz instrumentalists, figuring in bands such Hayden Powell Trio, Albatrosh and Eyolf Dale’s new octet Wolf Valley.

As with other albums on Periskop, the artwork is by designer Jens Jørgen Carelius Krogsveen. This recording was made in October 2015 at Propeller studios in Oslo by Hans Andreas Horntvedt Jahnsen, mixed by David Alexander Sjølie and mastered by Morgan Nicolaysen at Propeller Mastering.

Strange Flowers is the long-awaited solo debut from guitarist/producer Juhani Silvola. The album aims to explore optimism and pessimism through a utopian and dystopian view of the world and human race. Most of the songs are painted in dark colours, others offer glimpses of light.

Strange Flowers reflects Silvola’s versatile background as album producer, in-demand guitarist and improviser. Produced with all the trimmings of a modern pop record, the album also explores the energy and ferocity found in genres that Silvola grew up listening to such as black metal and hip hop. Silvola has previously worked with a range of high profile groups in a varierty of styles, from the cult-group Sacred Harp to Earlybird Stringband and the Sami group Adjagás. Silvola also co-produced Highasakite’s album All That Floats Will Rain.

Silvola picked his fellow musicians among those who know him best. His wife Sarah-Jane Summers is one of Scotland’s premiere folk musicians, and plays the fiddle and viola with a unique tone and style. Juhani’s brother Timo Silvola is an in-demand drummer who plays with bands such as Like Rats From A Sinking Ship and Barren Womb.

Guitars, synthesizers, electronics and precussion are played by Silvola himself, who also self- produced and mixed the album. The recordings were made in Parachute Studio by Roar Nilsen, and the mastering was done by Helge Sten. As with other releases from Periskop the artwork and design is by Jens Jørgen Carelius Krogsveen.

Track list

1. The Gods That Built This Place Were Mad
2. Vents Of The Underworld
3. Strange Flowers Bloomed
4. The Last Modernist
5. Black Breath, Black Blood
6. Nyctophobia
7. The First Beast
8. All That Is Solid Melts Into Air

Credits

All music composed, arranged, produced and mixed by Juhani Silvola.

Additional mixing by Christoffer Brenna.
Recorded by Roar Nilsen at Parachute Studios and by Juhani Silvola at Kongens Gate.
Mastered by Helge Sten.

Circadian Rhythm & Blues is trumpeter Hayden Powell’s most personal and ambitious work to date. The double album kicks off with a set of tunes from Powell’s acoustic trio and continues into a new realm of solo improvisations, soundscapes and electronics.

The term Circadian Rhythm refers to the body’s internal clock and underlying cycles of sleep and metabolism. Circadian rhythms also respond to impulses such as light and temperature. There’s a similar duality in music. We all have our own aesthetics, but must relate to our surroundings, other musicians, the audience and our own feelings and aspirations. On this album, Powell and his ensemble guide us through a 24-hour cycle, with songs such as “Reveille”, “Late Night Politics” and “Sleepless”, all conveying a range of different moods.

Powell explains:
“In the summer of 2014 the trio started working on new tracks – we wanted to make something more extrovert and punchy. During the same period I started work on a solo album, which, for me, represents a long-held ambition in my development as a working musician. The two projects began to ripen simultaneously and ideas and inspirations were shared between them. Many of the basic musical ideas are similar but the end result has taken very different forms influenced by those with whom I’ve worked and by where I’ve been. Hence the reference to the concept of Circadian Rhythm, which I also find fascinating in its own sense”.

The trio section of “Circadian Rhythm & Blues” features Powell’s regular ensemble of recent years: pianist Eyolf Dale and bassist Jo Skaansar. Both are sensitive and intuitive musicians who provide an ideal partnership for Powell’s lyrical and dynamic trumpet playing. This part of the album was recorded in Copenhagen, during an intensive three-day stay in the studio The Village, with the engineer August Wanngren.

The solo part has been created in collaboration with producer Øyvind Røsrud Gundersen (Hanne Kolstø, Atlanta, Siri Nilsen) and recorded in Tøyen Church in Oslo – a room with a wonderful acoustic. The whole thing was mastered by Morgan Nicolaysen at Propeller Mastering. Jens Jørgen Carelius Krogsveen designed the cover, which includes images by the photographer Anne Valeur. The album will be released on Powell’s own label Periskop and is available on a double-CD and via digital streaming services.

Hayden Powell has previously released two albums, The Attic in 2011 and Roots and Stems in 2013.

Two years after the success of his debut album The Attic, trumpeter Hayden Powell is ready to release its sequel, Roots and Stems. The album is an intimate encounter with a captivating trio, putting pianist Eyolf Dale and bassist Jo Skaansar alongside Powell. Recorded in Rainbow Studio by Jan Erik Kongshaug and featuring excellent artwork by Jens Carelius, this album is worth looking out for.

Roots and Stems consists of ten songs that might be described as melodic, acoustic chamber jazz. Most are initially composed by Powell and then further developed by the band through numerous concert performances. Having worked with a number of guests on the previous album, Powell is now stripping away everything but the trio, giving each musician more space and responsibility. The result is a transparent, open sound with a wide dynamic range and original arrangements.

The band wasted no time and recorded the entire album in just one day. To ensure the very best sound, this was done at Jan Erik Kongshaug’s legendary Rainbow Studio in Oslo, Norway. Towards the end of the session, friends and colleagues were invited to an intimate in-studio concert. The resulting special energy led to the band using almost exclusively these recordings on the album.

The trio is now looking forward to its release concert at the Norwegian National Jazz Scene Victoria on 30th October. This is the largest and most important stage for jazz in Norway, and the group’s last album release two years ago filled the hall to the brim with 450 spectators. The album will be the first to be released on Powell’s new label, Periscope, and is distributed through Musikkoperatørene. The cover was designed by musician/designer Jens Carelius and reflects the balance between freedom and control found in the music.

Hayden Powell is a trumpet player and composer based in Oslo. Powell is originally from England but moved to Norway as a child and grew up in Molde on the western fjords. He works in a variety of styles with an emphasis on jazz and improvised music, and released his debut album as a band leader, The Attic, in September 2011. Powell is also a member of the highly original brass quartet Magic Pocket, and has worked with Trondheim Jazz Orchestra as both a musician and composer. He has recorded and released music by artists as diverse as Iro Haarla, Solfrid Molland and Jens Carelius.

Eyolf Dale has released two solo albums in his own name of which the last, Hometown Interludes, was released earlier this autumn. He has also released several albums with the sax/piano duo Albatrosh (on Rune Grammofon), and has written music for Trondheim Jazz Orchestra.

Jo Skaansar is a highly sought-after bass player on the Norwegian jazz scene. In 2010, he released the album Den Blåaste Natt, featuring lyrics by Norwegian poet Edvard Hoem, and has contributed to a number of concerts and productions with musicians such as Trygve Seim, Per Jørgensen and Jon Larsen.